Your Determination
by Nonumaru
Summary: It is summer and the start of another season for Kohona Swim Team. Can the shared struggle of this sport keep everyone together? Or will love, loss and competitive natures spread this close knit group apart?
1. Too Early

**Hello everyone, this is Nonumaru. This is one of my many fanfics wrote for the Naruto Shippuden series, but the first one based on my own experiences with swimming. My friends and I lead crazy lives, so why wouldn't they be perfect for telling stories with? This story was previously called** **Swim Good** **, but I decided to revise it a tad and give it more of a plot. Enjoy, read and review always!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, and never will. Though as relatable as these characters are, I don't see why we don't own this fandom already.**

 **XXX**

 **May 15, 7:05 P.M.**

The one and only Sasuke Uchiha sat in the middle of the weight lifting section of Planet Fitness, brooding. His long black hair, which usually was gelled up to appear spiky, was left down so chin length bangs brushed his face.

Being at school for almost one hundred and eighty days was killing him. His house was killing him. This life was killing him.

He slammed the one hundred pound barbell he was lifting so loud on the rack that the employees at the desk looked over at him curiously. Damn it all. Couldn't he get a little peace anywhere?

The more Sasuke thought about it, the more he thought people tiring. So frequently was it that he had to fake emotions just to go through the day.

It was a Friday night. He should've been going out with his friends, or at least studying for final exams. All he could manage to do though was work out to let out some steam. Every night for the past couple weeks he had been going through the same routine.

Home was suffocating. Sasuke's father, Fugaku Uchiha was almost never home, since he was a big leader in the corporate world of Kohona. Even before his mother had died he could never remember speaking more than a couple words to the man. None of these short conversations consisted of 'I love you'. Sasuke didn't think that 'love' was even in the man's vocabulary. Hell, he had let his wife go so easily, why in the world would he give more than two shits for his son.

His older brother seemed to be on the same track as his father. Except for the fact that his brother hid his feelings behind piles of college work and a computer screen. Itachi was seen as the bright one. He had a reputation for excellent grades and a professional approach to people.

All of this stuffing feelings and emotions behind the pretense of work left Sasuke drained. Most people never saw the real him, just a husk of what he once was before his mother died.

He thought of it more today than any other day of the year. It was the anniversary of her death after all.

Sasuke was just about ready to leave the gym before he spotted something blue moving out of the corner of his eye.

Planet Fitness happened to have two levels. The first level held the work out machines, yoga mats, weights et cetra. The lower level had the tennis area, basketball court, and a pool. The first level was built around a large cylindrical like space that had windows facing down to the entire length of the pool. It was from those windows that he saw the bright flash of blue.

Why anyone else would be crazy enough to go work out on a Friday night besides himself puzzled Sasuke.

When he looked closer he found that the person walking across the pool deck was a girl about his age. Her long black hair cascaded down her back to end just below her shoulder blades. She had big purple colored eyes and a cute round face. Despite this she looked very sad.

He saw her lightly place a fluffy white towel and locker keys on one of the chairs on the deck, but it was done almost as if she was in a daze. Even though Sasuke knew nothing about this girl, he knew what she was feeling all to well. She was trying to separate her mind and her body in a desperate attempt to save her sanity.

To save herself from self-destructive thoughts.

For the first time in a long time Sasuke thought about someone else beside himself. What train of thinking was she so engrossed in that she had to do something so drastic?

Still staring, he saw her stretch a black silicone cap over her head and place matching vanquisher goggles with reflective lenses over her beautiful, solemn eyes. With a barely visible sigh she gracefully slid into the pool. Not fazed by the cold, she placed both her hands on the ledge and pushed off to streamline across the water. A few seconds later she pulled back her arm to begin a freestyle stroke.

Sasuke was floored. Her concentration to her craft was unparalleled. He had been to many swim meets in his lifetime, thanks or no thanks to his best friend Naruto who happened to be a swim junkie.

Never before had he seen perfection like this in the water, especially not at night in such a stressful time.

What was she running from?

 **XXX**

 **June 10, 11:58 A.M.**

Sakura sat on her best friend's plush leather sofa, brooding. Her bright pink hair stood out like a sore thumb in the fairly mute colored room. She pushed her knees up to her chest; arms folded around them while she slid open and shut her cell phone.

Sakura sighed and gazed over at Ino, her friend, who seemed to be fairly content to text on her new IPhone. All and all, Sakura couldn't help but be jealous. Ino's long blond hair and large chest attracted many males near the end of junior high. The attention got even worse once she got into high school.

Ino made Sakura feel really undeveloped in that department at least. Her chest could barely fill out a B cup. Her skinny, wiry figure did little to catch the eye of the opposite sex she thought, and her short hair didn't help. Although, she liked the hairstyle that way, it made her feel more sophisticated. People would take her more seriously.

Sakura peered over Ino's shoulder and wondered who she was texting. The blond tending to have feelings for multiple guys at once, any of which Sakura would be glad to even pay attention to her.

When she looked at Ino's phone, instead of seeing Neji's name light up the screen, it was Shikamaru's instead.

"Ino, don't you think that you're hopping between boys too much? I mean, what happened to you and Neji?"

Ino put her phone down and looked at her friend. "Neji? I'm kind of disenchanted with that guy. We went to see that movie the other day, and he just seemed so… I don't know, distant."

Baby blue eyes met emerald green in an instant. "Maybe he's just shy," Sakura said, "I'd be nervous if I was him too. You are his first girlfriend after all."

"I know Sakura, but that's not half of it." Ino ran a hand through her soft hair and averted her eyes. "He's been like this since we started dating a month ago. I'm okay with shy guys, but this was to the point to he wouldn't talk to me in public. He was cold and spoke to me like I was a terrible distant relative. He waited a long time for me to decide to date him, and don't get me wrong, he was really sweet for a while, but his personality has changed. I can't live with that forever. Especially for the start of junior year, I need a guy who is fun and carefree, like me." She smiled brightly.

"So what are you going to do about it?" Sakura asked, a tad naively.

"Well I already broke up with him-"

A gasp came from Sakura.

"-so I'm moving on now."

"Ino! But-"

Before Sakura could protest further, Ino put her index finger right between her friend's eyes. Sakura fumed.

"Forehead. Calm down."

Sakura squirmed. "You're breaking his heart, Ino-Pig."

Ino sighed happily and hugged Sakura's larger, skinny figure for all she was worth. "I know Forehead, I know. But we're tough competitive swimmers right?" Ino nudged Sakura with her elbow and smiled. "Our lives are tough ones. Neji is just going to have to deal with it."

 **XXX**

 **June 11, 5:25 A.M.**

 _BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!_

Hinata struggled to reach her alarm from her bed. In her haste she fell flat on her face on the floor. Luckily she had her nine-tailed fox plushy to break her fall. The little animal grinned sweetly up and her and she groaned.

This was another start to another grueling day with their coach. CFH everyone called her. Coach From Hell, Miss Tsunade.

Hinata couldn't go a day without being in water, or even taking a short shower, so swimming to work out was the closest she was going to get to being around the liquid all the time. Plus, since she was working out so much, she didn't have to constantly worry about her weight or what shit she ate.

Hinata had always been a weighty girl. Her mother never seemed to let that fact escape her. She would constantly nitpick and comment on what she was eating, when she was eating, and the whole deal. Hinata couldn't understand it. She looked like a normal kid, why did she have to worry about her weight? As a result of the constant commenting, the view of herself and her body diminished bit by bit throughout the years. Her curvy body, large chest size and muscular limbs were no longer something she thought others considered attractive. The fact that she had never had a boyfriend yet starting junior year made her self esteem drop even lower.

Regardless though she swam, in hopes that someday, she would get praise.

Hinata hoped that someday, she would feel beautiful.

Little did she know, she was already beautiful. She just needed someone to tell her that.

After a quick breakfast of Raisin Bran and milk, Hinata suited up. Since today seemed like a purple day, she donned that color one-piece TYR suit. Shorts, a tee shirt, a jacket and her swim bag she also added on her back.

It was only a five-minute bike ride to her high school pool. The early time and freezing cold air made it feel even longer.

By the time she got there, she noticed that the bike rack was fairly full. Ten-ten's and Sakura's bikes were already there.

Opening the locker room door she heard a light groan and an agitated voice whine, "Why the flying fuck am I still here? It is too EARLY!"

She walked in to see Ten-ten, lying on the bench, swim bag completely covering her face. Her dark brown hair was placed in a messy bun on the top of her head.

She could hear Sakura sigh, "Oh shut it Ten-ten, don't get your panties in a wad."

"Too late, I'm not wearing panties." She pulled up her shirt to reveal an Uglies brand swimsuit.

Hinata laughed slightly at the exchange. "Come on guys," she said, putting away her bag and getting out her goggles and cap, "Let's get out there before CFH gets on our cases."

Ten-ten groaned. "Go to hell. No, scratch that, CFH can go _burn_ in hell."

Sakura whacked her in the arm, hard. "Stop being such a trashy hoe, I really am not in the mood to do a set of 500's today. Remember what happened last time you opened your huge mouth and she heard?"

Everyone in the vicinity groaned at the thought of having to do sets of twenty laps over and over again.

Simultaneously they looked at each other, then scrambled out of the room, scattering a couple middle schoolers who were in the way.

Once on the pool deck, the three girls noticed even more of their friends on the bleachers. Some of the guys were there that day too.

Sai, the antisocial bastard, looked like he was about to kill something as Ino talked to Shikamaru. The genius brained Shikamaru really tried to be invested in the conversation, but he never was a morning person, or day person at all for that matter. His dark brown hair was shuffled up sloppily in a ponytail on the top of his head. The Speedo he wore was stretched out so much that it looked like a diaper. Sai on the other hand wore jammers, down to his knees. His hair was neatly cut army style. The strong muscled shoulders of his supported his defined biceps in a way that would catch anyone's attention.

Before the girls could even begin to sit down, a stern voice came from the left side of the bleachers. "Has anyone seen that idiot of a coach yet?"

Ten-ten froze, whispering to Hinata and Sakura, "It's her…"

Murmurings of CFH spread through the thirty or so swimmers like wildfire. Luckily the coach was still in her office, so they didn't have to face her wrath face to face.

Her voice suddenly seemed decibels louder. "Are you people awake? I SAID, where the bloody hell is that blasted idiot Kakashi! It is already 6:05! I AM NOT WASTING TIME WAITING FOR HIS SILLY ASS TO GET HERE AGAIN! THIS IS THE SECOND WEEK OF CAMP FOR CHRIST'S SAKE!" Yep, that was definitely a megaphone she was holding.

"Yo."

The voice seemed magically to come from above their heads. A shock of silver hair could be seen bobbing up and down on the bleachers on the second floor deck. That kind of hair could only belong to one person only.

"What the hell are you doing Coach Kakashi?" Ten-ten whispered.

"Yeah," Ino said, "Are you trying to get us dismembered?"

They all could see Kakashi's hand rub the back of his head in a sheepish gesture. "Well I kind of ran into a snow-"

"It's the middle of summer." Sakura interrupted.

"-sand-"

"We aren't in the desert."

"-grass storm on the way here. The cutters completely blinded me from seeing the road. You kids should know, safety first."

Sai held up a hand. Everyone turned to stare at him. The hunk was always very silent. It was very rare that he said more than a comment in one day. So to see him confronting a teacher about something was a once in a blue moon event.

"Leave it Coach Kakashi. We all know who you're sleeping with, so try not to make it even more obvious."

No one saw that coming.

But before things could go into a chaotic state, Coach Tsunade strutted out in her usual sweatpants and light jacket combo. Her long blond hair was tied in a low ponytail that just added to the sharpness of her angular looking face. Rumor said it that she made Junior Nationals at the age of 8 and that she continued to rank high among her peers the years following. However, when she finally qualified for the Olympics, a terrible shoulder injury took her out of the running.

"So," she started.

"Here we go," Ten-ten sighed in Hinata's general direction. "We're going to get the nutrition talk," her face paled, "Again."

Coach Tsunade cleared her throat. "As I'm sure all of you are aware, Kakashi and I brought this camp up from nothing. We trained all of you kids, who were once diamonds in the rough, to almost polished stones. Not only that, but we have the built the best facility in the Kohona area."

No joke. Tsunade and Kakashi actually helped with the construction. There was picture in the office of them with shovels. Though the thought of Kakashi actually doing anything helpful without making excuses for himself first, never ceased to surprise anybody.

"Many of you more dedicated swimmers have made Regionals and State in individual events under our instruction. However, we concluded that something was missing from our repertoire."

Whispers and speculations spread through those seated like wildfire. Ino gaped. "Don't tell me she actually is going to let us do Zumba!"

Sakura stared at her best friend pointedly. "No Ino-pig! Are you crazy? This is probably some new kettle ball regimen or something. Besides, you know how much she loves the P90X yoga guy."

"Silence!"

Everyone shuffled in his or her seats guiltily.

"We want to create the ultimate state guys think that you're all so great? Well let me tell you this," Coach from Hell said. "You're no part of this team, this relay, until we choose you. You've got to earn it first."

She appeared very smug. All the swimmers could do was look at her and gape. "So… you guys ready to start the set and show me what you've got?"

The swimmers had no choice but to high tail it into the water.

 **XXX**

 **The songs I listened to while writing this were…** **Don't Wanna Fight** **by** **Alabama Shakes** **,** **My Type** **by** **Saint Motel** **and** **What Now** **by** **Rhianna**

 **Tell me what you think of the new revised version! Review!**


	2. A New Face

**Sup ya'll! I'm here yet again with another installment of** **Your Determination** **. I understand that Hinata is a tad OC. Ok, maybe like a lot. However, I don't think its realistic to have her completely anime like because one of my missions with doing this story was that I would bring out the subtleties within her character. I hope that you guys understand!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own this dammit. Well… my story, minus the fandom.**

 **XXX**

 **June 11, 9:15 A.M.**

After an exhausting practice of swimming and dry land (swimmer slang for any workout not done in the water), the girls cleaned up and washed to get ready for the rest of the day.

Ino toweled her legs off and regarded the rest of her teammates. "So what do you guys have planned for the rest of the day? I heard that summer school is starting today. It is a Monday after all."

Sakura answered, still brushing her pink hair. "You shouldn't even have to ask that Ino. I know what I'm doing for sure. That involves sitting on my ass for hours, drowning my sorrows in ice-cream and watching reruns of The Big Bang Theory."

"Ugh!" Ten-ten pinched Sakura in the side. "You are such a lucky bastard. I have to go to badminton practice. I swear, my knees are going to be Jell-O by the end of all of this athletic junk."

After a few moments of comfortable silence Ino asked, "What about you Hinata? Have you got anything planned?"

Hinata, who was currently tying a pair of sneakers looked up in surprise. As much as her friends' liked her, she tended to blend in when it came to casual locker room conversation, or just conversation in general. The sudden inquiring nature of Ino caught her off guard.

"Yes," she replied, "I-I've got a summer school class. I'm taking Genetics as an elective now because all of my class slots were taken sophomore year."

"Oh!" Ino exclaimed. "That should be fun." The blonde's stunning smile made Hinata blush and look away. How was Ino her friend when she totally outclassed her in beauty and personality? Hinata shrunk as she looked at her simple pair of running shorts and Nike dry fit shirt.

Suddenly the bell rang and Hinata was quickly out of the locker room door, saying her goodbyes to the girls who were still in various stages of undress.

She knew where the rooms were fairly well in the high school already since she had been there for two years. Regardless, it was still a large school of over two thousand kids, so there was much room for error. The paper she had put in her swim bag earlier for reference was quickly swiped out.

"A312…A312… That means the third floor," Hinata said aloud. She inwardly groaned just thinking about the task of going up stairs, especially since she had just been working out for three hours.

"Stairs are such a joy to climb aren't they?"

The voice was a husky one that immediately caught the girl's attention. Hinata turned around abruptly to see the most attractive teen she had ever encountered at their school. Ever. Period. His face was plastered in a smirk. The guy's eyes glittered with an emotion that wasn't recognizable at first, but to most would come off as impassiveness. The guy looked very mysterious with his spiky black hair and unusually pale skin. His muscles were shown off in a skin tight, blue, button up shirt and jean shorts.

Hinata couldn't help it. She flushed bright red. "W-who are you?"

The guy shoved a hand in one of his jean's pockets before answering. "I'm Sasuke, happy to be a senior, finally. You?"

"I'm Hinata, sadly still a junior."

They stood together for a moment of awkward silence before Sasuke spoke again. "Well Hinata, sadly still a junior, I happen to be going the same place as you. Do you mind if I walk with you?"

Hinata smiled. "Yeah, that would be really nice. You can drag me to class if I fall down the stairs."

Sasuke chuckled slightly as if he wasn't used to doing so. It was a very melodic sound that resonated throughout the empty hallway they were standing in.

"No seriously," Hinata said, giving him a long serious look, "I actually might pass out."

The black-haired man turned so his whole body to face her, giving her his full attention. He was questioning her without even raising an eyebrow. Interesting, she thought, that a guy could be so charming without giving himself away. A hot visage and a way of drawing people in was a dangerous combination, and Hinata was fully intent on asking Ino about this Sasuke character later.

Then she sighed. "About the fainting thing… I'm joking! Well… only partially."

"Good!" The edge of his lip curled up slightly, clearly relieved, and they began walking.

Hinata was a tad flustered. She wasn't used to people just coming up to her and starting conversations out of the blue. Yeah, they were going to the same class, but teenagers like them tended to shy away from socializing with people they didn't know or weren't probably going to see on a regular basis. This was especially if that person was an underclassman.

Her new classmate… Sasuke, appeared a tad socially inept, which screwed with her brain even more.

Why was he so interested in making an effort?

 **XXX**

 **June 11, 9:45 A.M.**

When Hinata and Sasuke made it to the correct room on the third floor, they noticed a bunch of other students milling around in front of the door. Hinata was surprised when she didn't recognize any of them. The class seemed to be full of seniors. Though she herself wasn't a social butterfly, it made her uneasy when she didn't have relations with these classmates. The only person she 'knew' was Sasuke, and she had just met him.

In an instant, heavy footfalls were heard from across the hallway.

"That must be Mr. Asuma," Sasuke said, with an expression Hinata couldn't quite identify. Even though she hadn't known him that long, and didn't expect to read him like a book, Hinata usually took pride in guessing accurately the emotions of others.

Asuma fidgeted terribly, like he was in desperate need of a smoke. "Go in, go in." He waved the in group with a shaky hand.

The class was huge, making the room and its measly contents way too small to be practical.

"Damn budget cuts," Sasuke whispered to himself. Hinata nodded in response.

Once a few more chairs with matching desks were in place, Mr. Asuma spoke again.

"Okay. Welcome to summer school Genetics guys! We are going to have so much fun."

Mr. Asuma said this in such a deadpan that there was absolutely no reaction from the class before him. The only sounds were that of uneasy bodies and ruffling papers.

Hinata was pretty sure she heard him say silently. "Goddamn. It worked on the kindergardeners."

"Alright," he continued after a pause, "Everyone get in alphabetical order by last name. 'A' will be 1 on the board for seats and 'Z' will be 32. No. Wait. Shit, this is way too confusing for the first day." Asuma ran a hand through his hair, quickly reaching into his desk something, probably for a box of Nicorette gum. "Just… pick your seats yourselves." A couple people cheered. "Any bad behavior I see and this whole agreement changes."

The desks were arranged in twos, so one had to have a partner to sit next to. After Asuma finished speaking, the teens in the room all looked at one another to make sure they were guaranteed a seat with one of their good friends. Since Hinata was the only junior in the class to begin with, she was at a major disadvantage at finding a seat.

A strong, muscular arm nudged her. "Hey, you can sit with me if you want. I'm free."

It was Sasuke. His eyes were twinkling in amusement, pointing to a pair of seats in the back of the room.

Hinata nodded and blushed. Was he laughing at her little problem?

"Alright," Asuma continued, "Now that everyone is settled, let's play a little game of two truths and a lie. You can do it with the person sitting next to you. Even though most of you know each other already, I figure it is a good idea for those who don't to break the ice a bit. Go on."

As Sasuke turned to look at Hinata, she noticed the girls across from her scowl her way. Maybe Sasuke wasn't as free as she had thought. Hinata had a lot of trouble keeping her eyes on the teen without getting embarrassed.

"You first," he said.

"Okay," replied Hinata, thinking. "I have another family member that goes to this school, my favorite color is blue, or I am in two sports."

"Hn." Sasuke put his head in his hand and ran a finger across his chin. "You are obviously athletic, so the lie isn't the last one… Your favorite color isn't blue. Yes! That's the lie!"

Hinata scowled. "Darn. How did you know? I thought my clothing would've fooled you." True to her word, the shirt she was wearing was a deep shade of blue.

"But Hinata," he stared long at her face, causing her to blush a deep shade of red, "Your eyes are purple. Now that I think about it, that's super rare."

"W-what the hell does t-that have to do with it? I'm surprised you even noticed. Though I'm not wearing my glasses today-"

"I'm right, aren't I?"

Hinata banged her head on the desk, exhaling loudly. She mumbled under her breath." F-fuck y-you…"

Sasuke heard. He tried to contain himself, but a chuckle couldn't help but escape his lips. "Wow. You don't seem like the swearing type."

Hinata picked herself up again. "Sorry, it's a habit. Besides, there are a lot of things in this world that deserve colorful language. Ah-em, swimming." Adjusting in her chair, Hinata continued. "So enough about me. W-what about you?"

"Okay. I love storms. I'm on the track team. Or, I hate tomatoes."

Hinata smiled shyly. "You are _obviously_ athletic, so not the middle one."

Sasuke grinned at the copy of words.

"I'll go with hating tomatoes. Most people dislike them. It seems the most out there. I'm probably wrong."

Sasuke shook his head. "No you got it right."

"No way!" Hinata gasped. "What are you, a masochist? Really? Storms?"

The dark haired teen rose an eyebrow.

Hinata turned red and looked away. "They scare the living crap out of me just thinking of them. They do not please me at all."

"I'm sorry about that." Sasuke looked to is lap as if recalling something. "My mother didn't like storms either."

 **XXX**

 **June 12, 11:50 A.M.**

There was one indisputable fact about the swim team. Ino Yamanaka knew almost everyone in Kohona high school, whether it be their dark past, grades, or dating history. She was also the person everyone went to, to find out about these people they needed information about. That was why Hinata called Ino up to talk. They decided to meet up at Ino's place for lunch.

"So what's up girl?" Ino asked, taking her second slice of pizza.

"Nothing," Hinata answered quickly.

"Girl, you're fidgeting. You only do that when you are hiding something. You didn't ask me to hang out after a tiring day of swimming for nothing did you?"

Hinata sighed. "No…"

"Then spit it out." Ino smiled. No matter what, this blonde would keep her secret.

"What do you know about Sasuke Uchiha? He's a senior-"

Ino missed the pizza that was aimed at her mouth. The sauce splattered all over her face. "OH FUCK!"

Hinata scrambled for a tissue. "Are you okay? Did it get in your eye?"

The blonde paid no mind to the questions as she wiped her face off. "Sasuke Uchiha? _The_ Sasuke Uchiha! How the hell did you run into _him_?"

"Well, um, I…" Hinata flushed a deep shade of scarlet. "H-he sits next to me in my summer school class."

"Oh dear." Ino put her head in her hands and looked up at her friend, eyelashes batting slightly. "Honey, you like him, don't you?"

"I never said that!" Hinata squeaked. Her voice had gone up two whole octaves. "I just think he is an interesting guy. He's smart and makes me laugh. There is nothing romantic about it."

Before Hinata could retort Ino scrambled up and gave her friend a hug. "Oh my gosh. I love you so much girly. Your heart is so open to love it is amazing." She released her from the long hug after a moment. "I just have to warn you about some things though."

Hinata nodded and exhaled long. "I don't like him just yet. I think I could but I barely know him. He is attractive enough to make any girl swoon though."

"Oh hell yeah he is!" Ino smiled. "That guy is gorgeous. However, looks come with a price. There is a lot of trash going around about that guy. He's had a tough childhood and he's been around. Even his friends say that they don't know much about him. I've been snooping around since our middle school days, but not much has come up. Do you really want to know more about him from me?"

Hinata paused, a small smile touching her lips. "You know what, no, I don't. Whatever I find out about him, he will willingly tell me. I shouldn't make judgments based on what his friends say. I feel like I would violate his privacy any other way."

The blonde ruffled her friend's hair. "You would really make a cute girlfriend. Just be careful honey. I don't want your innocent heart broken just because some sketchy jock broke it. Got it?"

Hinata snaked her arms around for a hug this time. "Absolutely **."**

 **XXX**

 **The songs I listened to while writing this were Midnight City by M83, I'm Like A Bird by Nelly Furtado and You by Binocular.**

 **Review! Review! Review! Tell me what you think!**


	3. The Creek

**Hey guys! I'm sorry about the long wait. I happened to be on vacation for a week in a remote place with no internet service. My phone barely functioned. It was fun but there were loads, and I mean LOADS of mosquitos. I have at least 50 bites. -.-**

 **Enjoy, read, and review always!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. But seriously Shikamaru, if you wanna come over to the dark side, my place is always available.**

 **XXX**

 **June 13, 9:05 A.M.**

"Guess what day it is?"

There was a huge sigh. "Ino… seriously?"

"PANCAKE FRIDAY! This has been my motivation for the whole week! You know that right?"

"Wow. You really must be an Ino-pig. That stuff is going to go straight to your ass."

Ino gasped in mock horror. "Sakura! You are… Such. A. Bitch!"

The two began to catfight in front of the bike rack until someone else made their appearance known. It was a girl with blonde hair put into four identical ponytails. Her gaze was steely and full of authority.

"You two again? Geez, you guys should be dating. Your need to be messing with each other all of the time seems to be insatiable."

Both of the girls' jaws fell to the ground. Yeah, Temari's sense of humor was _really_ strange.

"I'm joking." The new blonde sighed and ran a hand over her face. "That sure woke you guys up didn't it?"

Ino blinked rapidly. Sakura's eyebrows furrowed.

Then, after a pause Temari added, "Pancakes start when the first person gets to my house. The chocolate chips will be gone if you don't hurry up. My brother will probably eat all of them before 9:30-"

Ino and Sakura weren't having any of that. They scrambled desperately to grab their bikes, which they found to be still attached to the bike rack.

Sakura turned around after unlocking her bike. "So your house is on 25th … Temari?... Where did she go?"

Ino rolled her eyes. "You know Temari. She's always dashing off somewhere with those strong breaststroke legs of hers. Come on. Let's follow Shikamaru and Sai."

The bikers rode swiftly through the streets in a straight line. Since Kohona was a suburb as opposed to a big city, few cars were out. They had free reign of the town.

So quick was their haste, they made a trip that would take a normal person thirty minutes, less than fifteen.

The four reached Temari's bright blue house just in time to see Gaara bring out the pancakes. Gaara was a quiet, estranged kid and also the younger brother of Temari. His red hair was short and unruly, and his eyes didn't look any better with the deep dark circles under them. Despite all this, he happened to be a great water polo player.

Many teams who had faced him in the sport were none to happy with his performance. Rumor has it that at one point when the referee wasn't looking, he elbowed a defenseman so hard in the neck that the player started having an asthma attack.

The scary part is, he didn't even have asthma to begin with!

"Well," Temari said, shocking everyone out of his or her reverie, "Go for it. We didn't slave over these floppy circles of sustenance for nothing, ya know?"

Gaara left as soon as he had come. Members of the team started to flood in, one after the other.

Pancake breakfasts on Fridays weren't only a motivation, but also a time to chat and gossip. The talk ranged from relationships, to family problems, to dirt about some of the incoming freshmen.

"So," Ino whispered to her friends seated around her, "I heard that Coach Kakashi is going to bring 'camp' back."

Temari's fork clattered to the floor. Sakura almost dropped her pancakes. Ten-ten almost fell off her bike on the way into the patio. "Say what? That is total bullshit Blondie. The money is too tight!"

"No, seriously I'm not lying. You guys know my mother does minutes for the meeting. Why would I be lying?"

Sakura scoffed. "To get our hopes up I suppose."

Shikamaru, from his spot at the table with his eyes closed said, "I highly doubt that she is lying."

Sakura sighed. Suddenly, Inner Sakura burst forth from her long slumber. "For someone so smart he can be so dense. Whaddaya mean, not lying? Does he realize that Pig is the number one gossip queen in Kohona, not to mention the biggest twister of words I've ever seen in my life?"

Temari nearly burst out laughing. While Sakura tried to best to lock her inner voice in yet another cage. "Yeah! You people forget that I'm one of the few people who actually remembers the camp. Well, when we still had it at least. It was complete hell."

"What do you mean?" Ino asked.

"What do I mean!? Dude, that camp is only fun after the fact. Let's put it this way. With your team you are stuck on this island in the middle of nowhere with no technology. There is no way of getting food there, so you have to bring all of your own, which just adds weight to your pack. You sleep in tents, not knowing if it is going to rain before you set it up. Chipmunks steal your shit and mosquitoes become the predominant race. Does that sound like a good time to you? And I didn't even mention the hiking."

Temari crossed her arms. "I still have scars from those bites I got then. The horseflies are killer."

Everyone cringed.

Shikamaru opened his eyes and grinned. "You just totally put everyone off the trip."

Temari mirrored him. "Well aren't you just bright there Shika. If camp really does come back, I wonder if it will ever be the same. Only one thing is for certain. I'm definitely going to be a team captain."

She smiled and added; "Besides there is no point in actually camping unless you go hardcore."

Ino flipped her still wet hair. "Sometimes my cousins and I camp out in the backyard of my Uncle's house. It is difficult to put up the tent, but we have a lot of fun together."

"You've got to be kidding me. Ha! That's fucking glamping."

"Temari! Wait… what's glamping?"

 **XXX**

 **June 15, 7:08 P.M.**

 _ **(10 years earlier)**_

When speaking of the Hyuuga family, or clan as most called them, Hiashi was the most Hyuuga-like of the lot. He was the most stoic, the most intelligent and the calmest. Despite this, he also happened to be the best father.

Hiashi wasn't one for physical contact or social interaction if he could help it, but all of those rules were broken in regards to his daughter Hinata.

When Hinata was a toddler, insufferable and hard to manage, he was patient. There was no yelling and spanking as punishment. If she did something wrong he would sit her down and speak to her softly. This kind of treatment wouldn't work for many other children. However, he knew she would understand. She was a Hyuuga after all.

He would take her to the park, sing her songs, laugh at her jokes, bake her cookies…

But that all changed when Hinata was six years old.

Hiashi often would take young Hinata on long car rides, calling them adventures, in and out of Kohona. Most of the time it was to test out a new car he had. Occasionally he would take her to visit the Yamanaka flower shop. Hinata and Ino played in the back room while Inoichi, Ino's father, and Hiashi talked about family politics and business.

Eventually there would be some sort reward, usually ice cream involved.

One cloudy day in June once school was out, Hiashi took Hinata out on another adventure.

"Daddy! Where are we going?" Hinata asked, her bob cut hair flopping up and down as she bounced in her seat.

Her father smiled. "Oh, nowhere."

Hinata huffed, leaning back in her seat. She knew better than to question him anymore. She would find out it due time.

Suddenly, it began to rain. It started out as a light misting, but soon the drops went down harder, leaving little 'pang' sounds on the windows. Hinata, being a smart little girl, scrunched up her nose in disgust when she noticed more menacing storm clouds in the distance.

"Daddy, are you sure that we're going to be okay? Storms can be scary. What if the rain comes in through the roof and we get swamped and-"

Hiashi cut her off with a rare bout of laughing. "No Hinata. That won't happen. The car is sealed from the elements completely. No need to worry."

The moment he said this a large clap of thunder was heard and both of the car's occupants jumped. Rain poured down more insistently than before. From Hinata's seat she could see buckets of water and even small pieces of hail making their way down from the sky.

Hinata whimpered.

Hiashi never liked to see his daughter upset. At this point she looked like she was about to cry. He sighed and made a choice. It was choice that changed Hinata's life forever.

They happened to be on a well-traveled stretch of highway at the time, with a large shoulder for cars to pull over if needed. The pavement dropped off to the famous Five Nation Creek, which was the only fresh water creek in Kohona.

Hiashi veered the car off to the side, turning off the headlights. "Hey."

Hinata peered up at her father. Her knees were pushed up to her chest, a hard feat to accomplish with her seatbelt still on. Her lavender eyes were a little red and puffy, but any signs of actual tears were gone.

"You're okay. Daddy wouldn't let anything happen to you."

Hinata nodded, sniffling.

All Hiashi saw were headlights before a deafening crash rocked the night. Everything went black as a moon less midnight. There was pain, lots of pain, and screaming too, coming from the seat next to him. The most the man could do was grab desperately in the direction of his daughter. After what felt like an eternity, he became weightless. The screams were faint now and they were spinning down, down, down into more unending darkness. The only thoughts in his mind were how everything hurt, hurt, hurt. When that feeling was gone another one took its place. The deathly touch of something wet and freezing cold engulfed him. He couldn't see. He couldn't breathe.

Escape.

Escape.

Save Hinata.

Hiashi's eyes popped open. He felt around for the seatbelt that kept his child tethered to the car. It took him a few moments, but once he found it, he clicked it free. Hiashi was also able to do the same for his own seatbelt.

He didn't have much time though; he had to get his daughter out of the car. She was no longer screaming.

In one swift move, Hiashi reached for the passenger side door, catching the lever with a hand by memory. Grabbing Hinata with the other, he maneuvered her out of the car and pushed her up to what he fervently hoped was the surface.

Hiashi nearly sighed in relief, but instead gasped, taking in water. He had reached his limit. Smiling, he closed his eyes and sent out one last wish for his daughter.

Hopefully, just hopefully, he had made it in time.

Hinata would live, no matter what the hardships. He had no doubts.

 **XXX**

 **June 15, 7:12 P.M.**

Mikoto Uchiha was a beautiful woman in her mid thirties. Her long black hair just passed her shoulder blades to cascade down her back. Onyx colored eyes gave a welcoming look to her facial features that many found kindly.

Mikoto had just been on her way back from the grocery store when the brute force of the storm had started to emerge. She thanked the heavens that she hadn't let her seven-year-old son Sasuke come with her. Being a storm junkie he would have wanted to get out of the car and dance in it. Right now, that didn't seem to be such a hot idea.

With her wipers on full blast and mind as on task as a machine, she barreled through the stretch of highway.

Suddenly, she gasped.

On the road ahead of her she could make out two cars colliding viciously. One car was on the side of the road, waiting out the storm when the other car lost control and t-boned it, sending the vehicle flying over the edge of the hill.

The side barriers on the shoulder of the road flew through the air with a sickening crashing and banging. The car was in even worse disrepair. It tumbled over the hill down into the creek below it. Mikoto could hear the smashing of windows and loud screams even with the rain. She envisioned a splash as the car began to sink into the rushing creek waters.

"No," Mikoto thought, "Oh no! There are people in that car!"

As fast as she could, the Uchiha mother pulled over to the side of the road and ran headlong into the rain. Her clothes became instantly drenched and heavy as she pushed through the gale.

Sprinting down to the side of the creek, she saw the outline of a young girl, struggling on the surface of the water. The girl was in distress, not quite drowning, but fighting to keep her head above the current.

Mikoto's gaze hardened.

The faces of her two sons popped into her mind.

No. This kid had parents, probably a family. She would sacrifice anything to keep that alive, in the hopes that if one of her sons was in the same situation… he would get the same treatment.

She would save this girl, even if it meant putting her own life in jeopardy.

 **XXX**

 **Tell me what you think! The plot thickens for you all. This, my friends, is how you kill people off. I am evil! XD**


	4. The Storm

**Sup guys! This chapter may be a bit depressing, but I think that all of you will like it. My swim lesson teaching job was cancelled because of the rain and thunder. Oddly enough, you will find that the weather coincides with this chapter. Enjoy, read and review always!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own shit. I'm just a poor teenager. So stop giving me so much trouble.**

 **XXX**

 **June 13, 10:30 A.M.**

"Alright everyone! Quiet down. Quiet down."

The buzzing class gradually ceased their shuffling and loud excited talking. Sasuke carefully folded his hands in front of his face in what Hinata had come to know as the 'thinking' pose. Hinata on the other hand, took a swig of water before turning her eyes to Mr. Asuma.

"Okay. So all of you kids think that English class in this school is a joke, right?"

There were collective murmurs of agreement from around the room. Even Hinata managed to nod.

"I'm sorry but today you'll need to delve back into your memory of that class to understand the lesson today. Bear with me guys."

Mr. Asuma uncapped a black dry erase marker, and began to write on the board. After he was done there were two words: retrospective and prospective. He underlined the prefix retro.

"Do any of you guys know what 'retro' refers to in Latin?"

Much to Hinata's surprise, Sasuke raised his hand.

"Yes, Sasuke? Give it a go."

The Uchiha folded his fingers together again, steeling his expression, making the girls in front of him swoon. "It means backward."

"Correct." Mr. Asuma then underlined the first three letters of the second word. "Now, can any of you tell me what the prefix 'pro' means in Latin?"

A girl with very long red hair and glasses in the front row answered, "That would mean… advancing forward in time, right? Or, extending, kind of."

"Yes, Karin."

Karin turned around and winked at Sasuke, to which the raven-haired teen gave no response. Hinata inwardly began trying to puke her guts out.

"Both of these words, retrospective and prospective refer to different types of long term memory. Although, they are not opposites, you can't have one without the other."

Hinata was shocked to see Sasuke mouthing the words almost exactly from Mr. Asuma's mouth, like he had heard this lecture before.

"Retrospective memory is when the content remembered is something that has happened in the past."

A boy with short brown hair in the front row raised his hand. "So is it just a visual memory that happened in the past? Or can it be something else?"

"Good question," Mr. Asuma said. "And yes, retrospective and prospective can refer to the recollection of words, people, places events et cetra."

"Now," he continued, "prospective memory is most easily known as remembering to remember. So, to explain it, it means that event is to be remembered in the future. For example, remembering every week on Tuesday to take the garbage out after dark."

There was a lull in class, so Mr. Asuma decided to hand out worksheets for everyone. Some people in various spots in the room groaned in disappointment.

Hinata was confused, not about why they got homework in the summer, and not about the material that they just learned, but about why Sasuke knew so much about Psychology. Why take the class when you already knew what they were going to talk about anyway. It just seemed counterproductive to her.

The Hyuuga girl pressed her forefingers together nervously. "Hey, Sasuke? I was just curious, how come you know so much about this subject already?"

A flash of panic and surprise crossed the Uchiha's face.

"I don't mean to pry, but you don't seem like the type to participate very much. In this class you do though. I've learned that you know a lot about anatomy and languages. That's why you understand so much about the subject." As Hinata said this, Sasuke turned to gaze at her.

"I know it's not important really… but I guess my question is…"

Sasuke smirked slightly and sighed. "Come on already. Ask away."

"Who did you learn all of this stuff from?"

Hinata nearly squeaked when she saw Sasuke pale considerably. It was a simple question. Maybe Psychology was a sore subject for him. If that were true, why would he be taking the class?

"The person who taught me all this was very precious to me. My mother."

Hinata averted her eyes. "Oh."

The way he talked about his mother Hinata pondered… it was as if she was already dead.

Sasuke said no more on the subject, but directed his attention back to the lesson, as if he didn't seem fazed by the question in the slightest. Mr. Asuma was beginning talk about the different aspects of the worksheet.

 **XXX**

 **June 14, 8:47 P.M.**

"Hinata honey, could you come in the dining room a minute?" A loud voice boomed from upstairs.

Hinata, from the downstairs laundry room, sighed. It was just in time, because she was just about to put another load of whites into the washer. Ria Hyuuga wasn't a patient woman. More than five minutes late to the call and she would be insufferable.

Some things never changed.

The purple-eyed teenager bounded up the stairs with soft thuds, making her way to the other room. Mrs. Hyuuga sat in the most luxurious chair at the oaken table's farthest end, shuffling through papers. Her eyebrows were furrowed together as she inspected one particular document. It was an expression that made a woman of middle age look like one many years senior.

Hinata pushed her forefingers together worriedly. It took a few moments for her mother to speak.

"So, Hinata, how was your day?"

"Ok," the daughter answered, voice wavering slightly.

Oh no.

Whenever Ria started with that one, Hinata knew she would be in for a long talk. Most of it would probably be negative.

"What are you looking at mom? Is it my cell phone bill or something?"

Mrs. Hyuuga smiled slightly, looking up. "No, the cell bill was unusually low this month. But there is something I want you to explain to me. Come here and take a peek."

Hinata shuffled over slowly to stand beside her mother. When she saw the paper, she froze.

It was her sports and school physical from a week ago. She had gone into Walgreens by herself and done it.

"Let's see," Mrs. Hyuuga stated, "Height: Five feet, nine and a half inches. Reflexes good. Both shots were taken, including the last of the Gardasil shot. Blood pressure is normal. But, the weight category …"

Hinata's heart nearly sank to her shoes. She wanted to cry, but held everything in. While in the Hyuuga household, strong emotions were not tolerated.

"One hundred and eighty-five pounds Hinata? That is way too much."

Hinata's free hand that wasn't resting on her mother's chair, clenched into a fist.

"I-I don't get it either mother." She bit her lip enough to draw blood. "I'm eating healthy and working out three hours a day five days a week with the Kohona Swim Team. My friends say I look good. We go running a lot too."

Mrs. Hyuuga pursed her lips, but said nothing.

That last part was kind of a lie, but her mother didn't need to know that.

"Something should be done about this." Ria Hyuuga ran a hand through her glossy black hair. "You know our family has a history of getting way too overweight. What happens when you stop working out?"

Hinata felt like screaming her lungs out. What happened to the whole muscle weighs more than fat thing? Her doctor said that she was perfectly fine. Didn't that count for anything? Why did she look in the mirror to see a perfectly muscled, normally proportioned teenage girl and feel like a piece of shit every, single, time?

"Mother, I don't think I would ever stop working out even if I lost…" She had to think of something convincing enough quickly, "Both of my legs."

Mrs. Hyuuga looked up into her daughter's bright purple eyes. These eyes should've been full of hope and promise. Instead they were full of sorrow and shame. "I don't want my eldest daughter becoming a pig, do you hear me? I'm at least glad that Hanabi inherited her father's slender tendencies."

Hinata almost broke down then and there. She had to get out of this toxic atmosphere.

This was too much.

"Mother, may I be excused? I need to go to the library to get a book for class really quick before the building closes."

Lies. It was all lies.

"Fine," Her mother waved a hand, "But don't be too late."

Hinata walked calmly through the hallways of her house before reaching the door. Once she calmly opened and closed the door, she bolted.

Hinata ran as fast as she could until she reached the local park. That was when the tears began to fall. No one was around to hear her, or see her, sitting on the bench under the branches of a large oak tree. Somehow, that made her feel just a little bit better.

If she could hide, or disappear, maybe none of this would happen anymore.

The seconds turned into minutes and the minutes turned into hours. Hinata had no idea how long she had been sitting there.

That is, until a boom of thunder and a streak of lightening made the skies become alive.

Hinata squealed and shrieked. This kind of freak storm was just like the one her father was killed in. The storm in which she almost didn't come out alive.

Pale hands covered frozen ears to try to block out the forceful winds and rain. Trees swayed with the effort to keep standing as the rain began to fall harder and faster than before. Hinata's insistent tears fell just as fast as the rain. Her insides trembled as every moment of that fateful day came back to her in excruciating detail. The loud crack of the lightening mirrored that of their car being smashed to bits. The splats of rain on the black pavement were the same as her and her father plunging into the waters of Five Nation Creek. Indeed, this was her own personal hell.

A hell she would probably never forget.

 **XXX**

 **June 14, 10:00 P.M.**

Sasuke sighed. Would this goddamn rain ever stop?

Yes, Sasuke loved storms, but he had just gotten out of the gym and smelled like shit. Every seasoned athlete knows that working out and then jumping in the rain, may sound like washing off, but it actually makes one smell even shittier than before.

Sasuke was just about to make a run for his car when he spotted a silhouette in the distance. The person, or whatever it was, was shaking like a leaf and seemed immovable.

The Uchiha gazed at the chaos of the storm around him. On the radar, it didn't look like the storm would be stopping until early the next morning. Flash flood and tornado warnings had been predicted for Kohona and much of the surrounding area.

If that really was somebody, the chances of that somebody needing help were slim. Maybe it was a masochist getting his or her daily fix. However, something deep inside of Sasuke knew that something was wrong. Even if the person or whatever was just out there to enjoy the rain and storm, it wasn't safe to be out here. It would be best to check on him or her in case of a serious situation. Even if he did get soaking wet, honestly, who would know of the stink but himself?

Sasuke righting his black shorts and dark blue tank top, ran swiftly into the pounding droplets of rain. As he got closer, he could barely make out a girl in the fray, sitting on a park bench under a tree. Long black hair covered her face from view. She was curled up in the fetal position and trembling violently. The girl was wearing a lavender t-shirt and khakis.

Suddenly a memory came back to him.

" _Really? Storms?... They scare the living crap out of me just thinking about them. They do not please me at all."_

When she had said this, her eyes were distant, as if remember something she had always wanted to forget.

"Hinata!" Sasuke shouted. He sprinted over to her and wiped the hair from her face. With an expressionless demeanor he asked, "Are you okay?"

The Hyuuga's eyes were saucers. Her breathing was erratic and her pulse was racing. If this went on much longer Sasuke's new friend was going to go into a full out panic attack.

Seeing as she seemed in no state to move herself, Sasuke lifted Hinata off of the bench and continued running, this time in the direction of his car.

While he ran, she clung to him. Sasuke couldn't help but wonder at the time, what had happened to her to make her like this. Clearly there was more to her than he had previously thought. A lot more.

 **XXX**

 **The songs I listened to while writing this were all of the Naruto theme songs. Believe me, they sure do give you writing inspiration. Tell me what you guys think!**


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